Blending or mixing apparatus



July 4, 1950 i J. J. FISCHER 2,514,126

BLENDING 0R MIXING APPARATUS Filed Dec. 8, 1949 Patented July 4, 1950BLENDING on MIXING APPARATUS John J. Fischer, East Stroudsburg, Pal,assignor to The Patterson-Kelley 00., Inc., East Stroudsburg, Pa.

Application December 8, 1949, Serial No. 131,771

This invention relates to material mixing or blender devices for use invarious industries, and more particularly to such apparatus as isintended for use in blending wet or dry materials such as are ordinarilydifficult to admix.

Whereas, in the prior art various type mixers or blenders have beendeveloped for use in connection with the purposes aforesaid, and whereassuch prior art mixers and blenders have comprised variously shapedtumbler devices with or without internal baffies or agitators or thelike; the devices of the prior art have been efficient only to limiteddegrees for the purposes intended, especially when operating upondifferently sized materials or materials of substantially differentspecific gravities.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved rotatingor tumbler type blending mill, comprising a casing structure of novelshape which when rotated tumbles the contents thereof in novel manner soas to provide more efiective blending of the materials therein.

Another object of the invention is to provide a blending mill for thepurposes aforesaid which is of structurally simple and rugged form, and

which may be fabricated in accord with a novel and economicalmanufacturing procedure 7 Another object of the invention is to providea blending mill for the purposes aforesaid which operates to provideimproved efiiciency and economy in material blending operations.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear from thespecification hereinafter.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a blending mill of the invention, with aportion broken away to show the interior and the unloading portion insection;

Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the device; and

Figs. 3 and 4 are diagrammatic illustrations of the material blendingflow paths therein at difierent phases of the tumbling operation of themill.

As shown in the drawing, the blending mill of the invention may beconstructed to comprise in side elevation an essentially V-shapedcontainer comprising opposite leg portions l0, [2

which are of frusto-cylindrical form relatively disposed with theircylinder axes intersecting. Thus, the plane of juncture between thecylinder legs l0, I2 is disposed at an acute angle to the cylinder axisof each leg, and the line of juncture connection between the oppositeleg portions is effected by suitable means,--such' as by 7 Claims. (Cl.259-81) 65 to a conduit 40 for introduction of liquid or welding asindicated at M. The outer ends of the cylinder portions l0, l2 areclosed by suitable end plates such as are indicated at l6, l8,respectively.

The container is fitted with aligned brackets 28 extending into trunnionbearing devices 22 at opposite sides of the unit; the trunnion bearindevices being mounted upon. base supports 24, 26 so that the trunnionaxis is disposed substantially horizontally and at the desired elevationabove the mill building floor line 21. Means for rotating the unit aboutthe trunnion axis may be provided in any preferred form, such as forexample an electric motor 30 geared to one of the trunnion shafts asthrough means of a bevel gear speed reducer 32 and flexible coupling 34.However, it will be appreciated that the unit may be rotated by anyother suitable power transmission means, such as a spur gear or chain orbelt drive arrangement in connection with any suitable power source. I

Material inlet and outlet arrangements for the V-cylinder unit may beprovided of any preferred form, and may for example comprise as shown inthe drawing a material inlet port and detachable cover plate device 34in either or both of the end plates of the cylinderlegs, and a blendedmaterial outlet device in any suitable form such as a collar 36 at theapex portion of shown in Figs. 1-2, one or both of the cover plates 34maybe removed and material to be blended may'then be loaded into themill as from chutes leading from bins or elevators dischargingthereabove. Then, with the covers in place the mill is rotated forsufiicient time to provide the desired blending of the contentswhereupon it may again be stopped in the attitude thereof shown in thedrawing and the valve 38 opened to permit drainage of the processedmaterial from the mill into any suitable receptacle or conveyortherebelow. However, it will be appreciated that the filler anddischarge openings and suitable cover devices therefor may be readilyprovided at any other positions on the unit in lieu of the arrangementsillustrated, as may be preferred in view of material handlingconsiderations externally of the mill. For example, as shown in Fig, 1,the trunnion shafts may be of hollow form and connected as solidmaterials therethrough when the mill is stationary or rotating.

It is a particular feature of the invention that the material containeris mounted upon trunnion bearings providing for rotation of the unitabout an axis such as is designated at 42 which extends obliquel to thedirections of extension of the container parts, and in the case of theV-cylinder unit type construction as shown in the drawing, the axis 42is disposed substantially normal to the plane of intersection of the twocylinder leg portions of the unit. Hence, upon rotation of the unitabout the trunnion axis 42 the loose material within the unit is tumbledalternately toward the closed end portions of the cylinder legs as showndiagrammatically in Fig. 3 and toward the apex portion of the containeras shown in Fig. 4. For example, as the container rotates so as to bringthe apex portion thereof to an elevation above the closed leg endportions, the loose material within the apex portion of the container isthereby tumbled over and directed to slide downwardly toward the crotchor ridge portion defined by the juncture of the cylinder legs. Thisridge portion then opcrates to split the downwardly sliding load intotwo parts and to'divert them to flow in obliquely lateral and downwardpaths toward the closed ends of the cylinder legs as pictured in Fig. 3.Then. as rotation of the unit continues, the closed end portions of theunit are carried up again into position at an elevation above the apexportion ofthe device, whereupon the loose material then occupying thetwo closed end Iportions of the unit are tumbled over and commence toslide downwardly in obliquely convergent paths. as pictured in Fig. 4.

Thus, portions of the load moving toward the apex portion of the unitsimultaneously from opposite leg portions thereof drive into and througheach other o as to thereby eiiect an improved blendingoperation. Hence,the operation of the device may be described as alternate mixing of theload materials into one batch and then splitting of themixture into twobatches and subsequently remixing it by means of the convergentimpingement actions of the sliding streams of the load materials.Furthermore, incidental to operation of the device as above described,as viewed endwise of the mill the load materials are given both verticaland lateral sliding motions as well as tumbling or overturning andfolding movements of elevated portions of the load rela tive to portionsof the load still remaining at lower elevations. Hence, in the case ofthe present invention the above described lateral displacements andalternate load splitting and remixing actions are obtained incombination with constant tumbling and folding and sliding actions ofthe load in response to rotation of the unit. It is also noteworthy thatthe V-cylinder mill as shown in the drawing is symmetrical as viewed inFig. 1, whereby the lateral displacements of material therein incidentalto the load splitting and remixing actions referred to hereinabove areaccompanied by balancing out of the load reaction forces against thecontainer walls. Hence, the mechanism is free from unbalanced load peakeffects; and it will also be understood that the trunnion mountingdevice will be preferably arranged so that the trunnion axis extendsthrough the casing unit at approximately the end view position ofthecenter of gravity thereof, to minimize eccentric loads on themounting and driving mechanisms.

Thus, it will be appreciated that the invention provides a blending millwhich is of novel shape so as to cause loose material therein to betumbled and slithered about therein in novel manner and with improvedblending results without corresponding increase of power consumption. Itwill of course be understood that various baflie devices or the like maybe installed interiorly of the material container, if preferred, inconnection with the handling of any specific material or'problem; andthat employment of such bafiie devices would provide additional localagitation of the material load as controlled generally by the shapeofthe casing unit as explained herein'above.

It is another feature of the invention that the V-cylinder casingstructure is particularly adapted to be easily and economicallyfabricated by: presently standard shop methods, because as a preliminaryto the final fabrication a single metal cylinder may first beconstructedand then cut in two diagonally intermediately of its ends, so as to atonce provide'the two cylinder leg portions l0, 12. The leg portions arethen reassembled into the relative position shown in the drawing, andthenfastened together as by welding or riveting or the like. Hence, thecasing structure is simply and economically fabricated by a minimum ofoperations and without waste of material. Whereas, the drawingillustrates the material container portion of the device of theinvention to comprise divergent leg portions which areofcircular'crosssectional form, it will be'understood that the legportions may be fabricated to any other preferred sectional form such asto a modified circular or polygonal form;

as long as the legportions are relatively arranged so as to provide theV-shaped configuration in side view whereby the novel material blendingaction is obtained as explained hereinabove.

Although only one form of the invention has been shown and described indetail, it will be apparent to thoseskilled in the'art that theinvention is not so limited but that various changes may be made thereinwithout departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of theappendedclaims.

Iclaim:

1. A blending apparatus comprising in one view a generally V-shapedcontainer having an apex portion and side leg portions divergingtherefrom, and means for mounting said container for rotation about anaxis lying within the plane of the axes of said leg portions butextending in a direction transverse to said axes.

2. A blending apparatus comprising in side elevation a generallyV-shaped container having an apex portion and cylindrical side legportions having their cylinder axes disposed in diverging directions,and means for mounting said container for rotation about an axis lyingsubstantially inv the plane of saidcylinder axes but extendingtransverse to said cylinder axes of said leg portions.

3. A blending apparatus comprising a generally V-shaped container havinga closed apex portion and closed end side leg portions divergingtherefrom, and means for mounting said container for rotation about anaxis extending in the plane of the axes of said leg portions.

4. A blending apparatus comprising a material container having an apexportion and hollow side leg portions divergent therefrom, means formounting said container for rotation about a rotation.- axis in theplane of the axes of said leg portions, and means for rotating saidcontainer about said rotation axis.

5. A blending apparatus comprising a generally V-shaped container havingan apex portion and elongate side leg portions diverging therefrom,means for mounting said container for rotation about an axis lyingwithin the plane of the axes of elongation of said leg portions butextending in a direction obliquely transverse to said axes, and amaterial loading opening and detachable cover means therefor at one endportion of said container.

6. A blending apparatus comprising a material container having an apexportion and elongate hollow side leg portions divergent therefrom, meansfor mounting said container for rotation about an axis in the plane ofthe elongation axes of said leg portions, means for rotating saidcontainer about said axis, and detachable cover means at one end portionof said container.

'7. A blending apparatus comprising in side elevation a generallyV-shaped container having an apex portion and hollow elongate side legportions having their elongation axes disposed in diverging directions,and means for mounting said container for rotation about an axisobliquely intersecting said elongation axes of said leg portions.

JOHN J. FISCHER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 165,033 Shelton June 29, 1875319,171 Barney June 2, 1885 1,424,154 Clark Aug. 1, 1922 2,238,440 EvansJune 30, 1949 2,464,788 Bewalda Mar. 22, 1949 2,477,269 Sandler July 26,1949 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 10,007 Great Britain July 9,1915

